Warning: contains potential spoilers for Superior Avengers #5!
Ahead of MCU debut, Marvel is changing what goes on underneath his iconic mask. Since his introduction over 60 years ago, Doctor Doom has hidden his face underneath a metal mask. At times, Doom’s scarred visage has been healed, but in a first look at Superior Avengers #5, his face is restored to its youthfulness. Yet, is something deeper going on, just under the surface?
Doctor Doom was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Marvel has shared solicitation for its August shipping books, including Superior Avengers #5, which will be written by Steve Foxe and drawn by Luca Maresca and Kyle Hotz. The book, a tie-in to the One World Under Doom event, follows a team of heroes answerable only to Doctor Doom.
Superior Avengers #5 (2025) |
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| Release Date: |
August 6, 2025 |
| Writers: |
Steve Foxe |
| Artists: |
Luca Marescae and Kyle Hotz |
| Cover Artist: |
RB Silva |
| Variant Covers: |
Kyle Hotz |
KILLMONGER STRIKES! Is this a sign of budding romance? Or MURDER? The pieces are falling into place, and the team is ready for their true mission to begin. But who is playing who? |
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The cover, by R.B. Silva, shows the new, female Killmonger kissing Doctor Doom, whose face is decidedly not disfigured, and instead resembles a young man. Marvel did not offer any additional information on why Killmonger is interested in Doom, or why Doom’s face is restored.
Doctor Doom Gets His Own Crossover As He Heads to the MCU
Doctor Doom Is One of Comics' Greatest Villains
Doctor Doom is one of comics’ greatest villains, a rare and lethal combination of sorcery and science. Introduced early in the Marvel Age of Comics, in Fantastic Four #5, Doctor Doom has crossed paths with nearly every hero at one point or another. From his home country of Latveria, Doom rules as absolute monarch, governing by fear and deceit. Doom has been played in live action several times, including by Julian McMahon in Fox’s 2000’s Fantastic Four movies. Doom will soon make his MCU debut in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday, played by Robert Downey Jr.
Currently, Doctor Doom has declared himself ruler of the Earth. At the conclusion of Blood Hunt, Doctor Doom cheated Doctor Strange out of the title of Sorcerer Supreme. After a brief period of inactivity, Doom reemerged, swiftly taking control of the planet and bringing its leaders under his sway. Naturally, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four mobilize to stop Doom, but with the power of the Sorcerer Supreme behind him, they will not have an easy go of it. Doctor Doom will not tolerate dissent, including from Earth’s heroic community.
Has Doctor Doom Used Magic to Restore His Face?
Doctor Doom is Proud and Vain, and Any Disfigurement Is Too Much for Him
And judging from the cover to Superior Avengers #5, it looks as if Doctor Doom has used his powers to repair his face. As detailed in his earliest appearances, Doom’s face was scarred in a lab accident, and he has since used the metal mask to hide it, out of shame and vanity. Doctor Doom’s face has been restored on a handful of occasions, such as in 1984’s Secret Wars, in which he used the Beyonder’s powers to make himself a young man again. Each time Doom restores his face, it seems to become scarred again.
There is a possibility that Doom’s face was only minorly injured, but his vanity would let him see it as nothing less than shameful, and to be hidden away.
The subject of Doctor Doom’s facial disfigurement has been debated by fans over the years, namely to what extent it was damaged. The initial stories detailing the accident did not say how badly his face was burnt. There is a possibility that Doom’s face was only minorly injured, but his vanity would let him see it as nothing less than shameful, and to be hidden away. Whatever Doom’s face first looked like, it has since been scarred and burnt repeatedly, making him truly disfigured.
Could Doctor Doom's Son Kristoff Somehow Be Involved?
Doctor Doom's Restored Face Is a Harbinger
Another intriguing possibility is that the person depicted kissing Killmonger is Doctor Doom’s adopted son Kristoff.
Another intriguing possibility is that the person depicted kissing Killmonger is Doctor Doom’s adopted son Kristoff. Introduced during John Byrne’s legendary early-1980s run on Fantastic Four, Kristoff was taken under Doom’s wing after the boy’s mother died. He gave the young man a proper Latverian education. For a short period, Doctor Doom was believed to be dead, and Kristoff had taken his place, but his father returned to assert his rule over Latveria. While Kristoff has been missing in action for a while, a Doom-centric event is the perfect place to bring him back to the forefront.
Doctor Doom's Next Big Move Is Confirmed, As Marvel's Dark 2099 Future Invades the Present
Doom 2099 is officially coming for the present-day Marvel Universe, as the future version of the notorious villain seeks to take over the past this.
Regardless of who is kissing Killmonger on the cover of Superior Avengers #5, it shows a non-disfigured Doctor Doom. This is a rare sight, but fans can rest assured that there is much more going on under the surface. It is worth noting this youthful Doctor Doom comes on the eve of his first appearance in the MCU, something fans have waited a long time to happen. The MCU creative teams have remained mum on how Doom will be brought in, and what he will look like, making it possible for this cover to be a sign of things to come.
Superior Avengers #5 is on sale August 6 from Marvel Comics!
